"E.P.A. Emails Shed Light on Pruitt’s Plan to Debate Climate Change"

"A new trove of documents sheds light on one of the most controversial proposals of Scott Pruitt’s first year as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: the plan to stage public debates on the veracity of climate change, an idea that was ultimately blocked by the White House.

The emails were released as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request by the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental organization .

While the broad outlines of Mr. Pruitt’s military-style debate plan, known as “red team, blue team,” are already known, the documents show the extent to which the E.P.A., which is the main federal agency charged with protecting human health and the environment, worked with groups like the Heartland Institute, which holds positions on climate change that are far outside the mainstream of scientific opinion, as opposed to the agency’s own chief scientists. "

Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport report for the New York Times May 8, 2018.

SEE ALSO:

"Top Federalist Society Official Initially Paid For Scott Pruitt’s Costly Dinner In Rome, EPA Officials Confirm" (Washington Post)

"Trump's Support For Embattled Pruitt Could Be Wavering" (CNN)

"Scott Pruitt's New EPA Deputy Could Surpass Boss In Scrapping Protections" (Guardian)

"New Files Shed Light on the Day Guards Smashed Scott Pruitt’s Door" (New York Times)

"The 10 Biggest Revelations From the Massive Trove of Internal EPA Emails" (Mother Jones)